It was far from a vintage Manchester United performance but the victory over Arsenal sent out a message - if it was ever needed - that David Moyes will have a say in this season's title race.

Life at Old Trafford post-Fergie has not been without its difficulties, with Moyes recording the worst start to a league campaign for 24 years, but United are now nine games unbeaten and there has been a marked improvement since the alarming performances against Manchester City, Liverpool, West Brom and Stoke City.

It was always going to take Moyes time to adjust (it is often overlooked that he spent more than a decade at his previous club) but there is now only five points separating his new team from Arsenal and suggestions the 'Chosen One' would struggle appear a touch premature.

The games against Tottenham Hotspur and old club Everton next month will represent another test of United's credentials, while they still have work to do to ensure they progress to the knock-out stages of the Champions League.

But there are clearly signs of the old formidable United starting to return, with the battling qualities that were the standard under Sir Alex Ferguson beginning to bear fruit for his successor.

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2 Why do Manchester City keep losing away?

Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City players appear to be suffering from nausea inflicted by the diesel fumes of the team bus whenever they venture away from the Etihad Stadium.

And it is a dilemma the Chilean urgently needs to cure unless his title challenge is rendered an impossible mission before the nights get lighter.

How can a team so exhilarating and effervescent at home be so disorganised and defensively suspect when they travel to places like Cardiff, Aston Villa and Sunderland?

Joe Hart has paid for his indecision in away games with his place, while the absence of Vincent Kompany has been significant but Pellegrini arguably has the personnel to have done much better.

With only four points from a possible 18, Pellegrini has stated the obvious by admitting they will not win the title if they fail to solve the problem. It is an issue which could have far more severe ramifications for him, in his bid to repeat Roberto Mancini's triumph of 2012.

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3 Is Jose Mourinho right to keep publicly criticising his players?

Jose Mourinho's first few months back at Stamford Bridge have been predictably full of drama and he appears to have lost none of his combustible nature - something which his own players will testify to.

Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and David Luiz have all irked Mourinho so far, with the remainder of the dressing room earning a damning reaction from the manager following the defeat at Newcastle last month.

Chelsea remain bang in contention on three fronts so clearly the criticism has not been too damaging but surely Mourinho needs to tone down his public rebukes?

With only three losses so far, there has been little to upset him but it only begs the question as to how much more severe it will become when the pressure really builds?

Nearly two weeks after branding Jonas Olsson a 'Mickey Mouse player', Mourinho is in danger of turning into a caricature.

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4 Who has been the best player in the Premier League so far?

Arsenal's promising start to the season has been inspired by the guile of Mesut Ozil and goals of Olivier Giroud but it is impossible to understate the influence of Aaron Ramsey.

After a difficult few years of underachievement and inconsistency, Ramsey appears back to his best and is fulfilling all the potential many had highlighted when he first emerged as a teenager at Cardiff.

Star man: Aaron Ramsey has been back to his best this season

Ramsey is beginning to dominate games again and Wenger's hopes of ending his long wait for silverware could hinge not on the brilliance of Ozil, but the Wales international remaining fit for most of the season.

Honourable mentions for Daniel Sturridge and Andros Townsend, while Luis Suarez appears determined to make up for lost time after returning from his lengthy suspension, but Ramsey has undoubtedly been the star to shine most brightly so far.

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5 Which manager will be sacked next?

Two Premier League managers have lost their jobs already and it is often around this stage of the season that panic-stricken chairmen's fingers become increasingly twitchy.

It is difficult to look any further than Martin Jol, Alan Pardew or Chris Hughton as the next potential departure, with Sam Allardyce possibly coming up on the rails as a surprise contender.

Jol, the Fulham manager, certainly appears the most under pressure and susceptible to the sack. There have been humiliating defeats against Cardiff, Southampton and Leicester while the insipid performance at Liverpool contained all the ingredients of a team heading inexorably for relegation.

The appointment of the highly-regarded Rene Meulensteen as head coach can be viewed either as a message of support for Jol or laying down the foundations for his dismissal. But it is arguably the games coming up against Swansea, West Ham and Villa - games Jol has publicly pinpointed as vital - which will determine his fate.

Derby County's woeful points total of 11 remains the lowest in Premier League history and there are growing fears that Crystal Palace could genuinely rival that embarrassing and unwanted record.

At this stage of the season Derby had two points more than Palace (a measly six) and there are a number of striking similarities between the two clubs to fill Eagles fans with dread.

Derby's win in the play-off final forced Billy Davies into a frenetic scramble to recruit players with time against him, a problem Ian Holloway highlighted when he fell on his sword last month. Davies also left Pride Park early in the season, creating further unrest for a squad struggling to find their feet.

Palace's hunt for a new manager has become a farce and whoever takes on the job will have his work cut out. A survival bonus will be well deserved.

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7 Can Gus Poyet continue his Sunderland revival?

There have been encouraging signs for Gus Poyet as he attempts to clear up the mess left behind by Paolo Di Canio's destructive reign at the Stadium of Light.

Poyet was harshly compared to Di Canio when he was given the job, purely down to his lack of experience outside the Premier League, but the former Brighton manager's star has been rising far longer than his predecessor.

He has inherited a squad that may be lacking in quality but displayed against Manchester City that they may possess the qualities required to survive. There has also been a noticeable shift towards a gameplan based on possession, which appears to suit them.

Poyet intends to carry out some surgery on his squad in January, with players expected to leave to fund new signings, but the portents are certainly promising for a brighter future.

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8 Can Southampton's Saints keep marching on?

Southampton have undoubtedly been the story of the season so far and a refreshing antidote to the predictable established order of the Premier League.

Their remarkable resurgence has been noted by Roy Hodgson and Gareth Southgate, with five Saints players earning call-ups to the national teams this month.

This is a club that now has £12 million signings unable to get into the starting XI and it is testimony to Southampton's progress that they will now be viewed as a serious threat, especially when you factor in their results at Old Trafford and Anfield this season.

The secret is now out, however, and Mauricio Pochettino will find himself in the position of being a scalp for opposing teams. This will be his biggest challenge yet but their start suggests this could be a campaign to remember.

Surprise outfit: Southampton have continued strong start to the season under Pochettino

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9 Is Youssouf Mulumbu the most under-rated player in the Premier League?

This is written with a heavy Midlands persuasion but Youssouf Mulumbu is once again proving that he remains arguably the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League.

Quite simply, Mulumbu could walk into any of the so-called top four and prove just as influential as he does for West Bromwich Albion - a statement Steve Clarke will probably not forgive me for.

As Albion's head coach remarked the other week, the club need to keep winning to prevent the vultures from pouncing and Saido Berahino and Mulumbu would surely be two of the players he was referring to.

Mulumbu's value has rocketed since he was signed for just £175,000 from Paris Saint-Germain four years ago and the 26 year-old is vital to Clarke's hopes of progression.

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10 Will Marko Arnautovic win a league game before the year is out?

Arnautovic told Telegraph Sport earlier this season that German newspapers are empty without him - but top seller Bild kindly took the time to point out a remarkable statistic a few weeks ago.

The reformed bad boy is yet to win a league game for any of his clubs this year in 20 attempts, after suffering dismal results with Werder Bremen and Stoke.

He has not experienced a league win since Dec 2 when he scored a hat-trick in Bremen's destruction of Hoffenheim and eight games under Mark Hughes are yet to yield three points.

Stoke will face Sunderland this week attempting to move away from the relegation zone - but Mad Marko (as he was once known) will surely be determined to win for more personal reasons.